Electric vehicles have been long known in various constructions. In comparison with the vehicles operated by internal-combustion engines they have the advantage of being exceptionally smooth-running and, besides, environmentally harmless. A drawback, however, is found to reside in their very limited operating range preventing overland or long-distance driving. This small operating, range is due in particular to the fact that the available energy accumulators would have to be much too large if one attempted to store therein the energy needed for long-distance driving. Since an increase in the size of the batteries also entails an enormous accretion of weight, it is understandable that automotive electric vehicles have come into their own virtually exclusively for operation over small areas.